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Khamenei outlines general policies on increase of population in Iran

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has announced a list of general policies regarding the population increase in the country.

Addressing the heads of the government's three branches and head of the Expediency Discernment Council in a letter, Khamenei oulined several items on the issue, the country's IRIB news agency reported on May 20.

Among the mentioned items are:

- Promoting "Islamic-Iranian lifestyle" and confronting with "undesirable aspects of western lifestyle"

- strengthening the foundation and stability of a family

- allocation of adequate facilities for women (especially during pregnancy and lactation period)

- coverage of insurance for infertility treatment costs

- lifting marriage obstacles

- facilitate and promote of marriage and child raising

- lowering age of marriage

Iran has started to review the contraception policies in the country in recent years. Last October Khamenei condemned the country's policy on contraception, saying it too closely reflects the western lifestyle.

Iran's family-planning program went largely unchallenged until former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began to criticize the "Two children are enough" slogan.

In April of 2010, he also said that "the country has the potential for a population of 150 million"

Later the Supreme leader made similar statements, saying that a population of 150 million to 200 million would be ideal for Iran. Currently Iran's population stands at at over 76 million people.